Gymnastic body balancing trapeze and stirrup device



Feb. 8, 1966 D. c. BINAN 3,233,894

GYMNASTIC BODY BALANCING TRAPEZE AND STIRRUP DEVICE Filed June 21, 1965 E E VENTOR.

United States Patent 3,233,894 GYMNASTIC BODY BALANCING TRAPEZE AND STIRRUP DEVICE Douglas C. Binan, 2304 E. 9th St., Cleveland, Ohio Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,699 3 Claims. (Cl. 27261) This invention relates to amusement devices, and particularly to a device which may be classified in the trapeze art, which will test the skill and balance of the person availing of the same, and at the same time as amusement is provided effectively make possible the use of the device as an exercising means.

The primary object of the invention is to test the skill and balance of the person using the device, which in essence is a bar suspended from a ceiling in the form of a trapeze, or other suspending instrumentality such as would be classified in the swing art, the primary object being to facilitate the movement of the suspending means independently and to provide a bar carried thereby which is likewise rotatably connected to the suspending means. The suspending means and the bar carried thereby provide intermediate balancing instrumentalities, with suitable stirrups depending from the bar and the stirrups affording means to suspend the weight of a human body of the person availing of the device for amusement or other purposes. It is essential that all the instrumentalities be flexible and relatively movable one with respect to the other whereby the balance of the person and the ability to maintain balance is brought into play by way of skill or amusement as the case may be.

With the foregoing in mind, the principal object of the invention will be apparent and resides in the testing or teaching of a person to avail of the device and acquire additional balance skill or otherwise use the flexibility of the device for amusement or other purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which will not only provide amusement but can become a contest device from the standpoint of determining the person who has the ability to maintain balance for the greatest length of time without resort to hand hold for establishing or maintaining said balance, all the foregoing depending upon the flexibility, and relative movability of the respective parts and the weight supporting instrumentalities carried thereby so that the lack of rigidity requires that balance and skill in acquiring the same be learned or in some manner acquired to carry out the purpose of the device in its most challenging form.

With the foregoing in mind, other and further objects of the invention will be understood from a consideration of the specification appended hereto and disclosed in the drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating the device as it is suspended from a ceiling or the like, with the respective parts indicated being on a reduced scale.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary detail indicating an ad justment for certain of the means.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view indicating the manner of connecting the supporting means to the suspending means for relative movement of the respective parts.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view indicating a stirrup member and its supporting connection with the suspending means.

FIGURE 5 is a view showing the suspending means or bar by way of illustrating one possible form thereof.

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a form of hearing which may be used.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly FIGURE 1, the amusement device depicted therein is shown as being "ice suspended from a ceiling such as 1, by means of suitable hooks 2, it being apparent that this way of suspending the entire device could be different and in the form of a usual playground swing support of pipe or in any other form of support providing for the relative swinging movement of the balance of the device now to be described with respect thereto.

With the foregoing understanding, the upper flexible suspending means of the device are denoted 3, these being preferably in the form of cables or suitable strong flexible means, provided at their upper ends with a loop such as is illustrated in FIGURE 2 and suitable clamping means 4- whereby adjustment of the length of the suspending means 3 may be effected.

The suspending means 3, obviously being preferably in the form of cable-like instrumentalities are provided at their lower ends 5 with suitable loop sections, the loop sections in turn surrounding a specially formed bearing having grooves in the outer race thereof, for example, with either ball or rollers such as 6 being used to rotatably engage the inner race, whereby free relative rotation of the inner race is afforded and anything connected thereto likewise is freely rotatable.

Suitably engaged with the inner race of the bearings engaged by the loops 5, is a main supporting means or bar 7, the bar 7 being equipped with suitable reduced sections at 8, at opposite ends or at least at widely spaced points, to receive the inner race of a bearing A engaged with the loop 5.

It will be apparent that the bar 7 will be quite freely rotatable with respect to the bearings and the upper suspending means 3, it being likewise apparent that the upper suspending means 3 are of suitable uniform length to maintain the bar 7 in substantially horizontal attitude.

Spaced inwardly some substantial distance from the portions 8 of the bar 7, are further reduced sections 9, with which are engaged the loops 10 of stirrups or secondary supporting members 11, by means of bearings 12 as indicated in FIGURE 4, these being preferably roller or ball bearings with the outer race thereof engaging the loop 10 of the secondary supporting means or stirrups 11, the inner race 13 of each bearing being engaged with the reduced section 9 of the bar 7 as will be understood.

These secondary supporting means or stirrups 11 as units are very flexible and formed of cable with suitable foot engaging sections such as 14 being provided, these likewise may be adjustable as by the clamps 15 shown in FIGURE 1 and on the order of the clamps 4 referred to in FIGURE 2 with regard to the upper suspending means 3. The adjustability of these stirrup members for length will be understood as this description proceeds although it is entirely possible that stirrup member such as is illustrated in FIGURE 4 may be used in which the lower or engaging sections 16 thereof may be formed by weaving or interweaving the end of the member 11 into the body thereof.

The stirrup members 11 may have suitable tubular parts such as 17 thereon so as to maintain the spacing and adequate opening within which the foot of the user may be inserted in a manner now to be described.

Assuming that an adult is to be tested or to use the device hereof for amusement or other purposes, the length of the stirrup members 11 will be preferably adjusted so that when standing in the foot supporting or engaging portions 14 thereof the shins will be about at the level of the bar 7. Initially the hands are caused to engage a portion of the bar intermediate the loops 10 or the reduced sections 9, to initially establish balance and then the entire weight of the individual is gradually transferred to the stirrups and the hand hold released from the bar as balance is acquired.

It will be apparent that initial use of the device Will necessitate development of a certain technique to stand up without losing the balance because of the flexibility and relative rotatability of the bar and possible swinging -rnovement of the members 3 and 11 with regard to one another during such balancing attempt.

As balance is acquired, the maintaining of the balance may be disturbed by causing swinging movement of the entire unit with respect to its support hooks 2 and thus further testing the necessity to acquire a new balance ability is brought into place.

It will be further apparent that since the stirrup or foot support portions 14 thereof are relatively near the floor, there will be no occasion to cause injury by reason of falling until balance skill is acquired since the distance will be relatively small and the tendency will be to use the hands to prevent injury if a fall is imminent.

It will be apparent also that the relative adjustability of the respective parts may make the same usable by individuals of varying heights and of course children likewise within limits. It is contemplated that the time one may maintain balance without falling could be the subject of contests on a Wide scale if this finds people who are interested in the skill and balance necessary to avail of the device as a whole.

Various modifications of the device may occur but the primary desire is to maintain the relative flexibility of the respective instrumentalities and the rotatability of the bar 7 with regard thereto so that in effect there is no fixed point which can be relied upon to maintain the balance but it is an acquired skill in the use of the device as a whole.

While it is entirely possible that the relative free rotation of the bar with respect to the stirrups 11 and the upper suspending means 3 may be readily met by the initial balance of the person using the device, on the other hand for some beginners it will be necessary to reduce the rotatability of these respective parts, and to this end in FIGURE 6 is disclosed a form of bearing which is used and includes the inner race 20 which Will be a press fit for example on the reduced section 9 of the bar 7, the outer race 21 being spaced therefrom and maintained rotatably with regard thereto by suitable ball or roller bearings 22, the outer race in turn of course engaging either the upper loop 10 of the stirrups 11 or the lower loop 5 of the suspending means 3, a set screw 23 being provided, threadedly engaged with the outer race 21 and adapted to bear against the inner race 20 to limit and in fact eliminate the relative rotatability of the races. This will obviously reduce the rotatability of the bar with respect to the other instrumentalities and then only the flexible nature of the supporting means is present to aiford the relative instability which is to be overcome by the person using the device and the balance skill thereof.

It will of course be understood that a bearing such as that disclosed in FIGURE 6 will be used on each of the reduced sections 8, as well as the reduced sections 9 for connections with the respective suspending instrumentalitics.

I claim:

1. An amusement device comprising suspending means, means consisting of spaced flexible members, main supporting means comprising a longitudinal bar freely rotatively connected with the members at the lower ends thereof, and secondary supporting stirrups including means for foot engagement by a human body, whereby the weight of said body is primarily supported thereby, said stirrups being independently swingably connected to the longitudinal bar means.

2. A device as claimed in claim I, wherein the flexible members engage the longitudinal bar at relatively widely spaced points, the stiriups are engaged with the bar at portions spaced inwardly from the membersto provide hand grip areas, the lengths of said members and stirrups being adjustable.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, means are provided for limiting the relative rotatability of the longitudinal bar with respect to the flexible members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 431,206 7/1890 Gloy 272-61 567,543 9/1896 Kinemann et a1. 272-61 665,990 1/ 1901 Brenneman 272 61 1,012,212 12/1911 Mells 272-61 2,638,967 5/1953 Morton et a1. 27261 X FOREIGN PATENTS 9,052 1900 Great Britain. 19,781 1900 Great Britain.

a RICHARD c. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

GERALD K. KITA, LOUIS I. BOVASSO,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. AN AMUSEMENT DEVICE COMPRISING SUSPENDING MEANS, MEANS CONSISTING OF SPACED FLEXIBLE MEMBERS, MAIN SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL BAR FREELY ROTATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE MEMBERS AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF, AND SECONDARY SUPPORTING STIRRUPS INCLUDING MEANS FOR FOOT ENGAGEMENT BY A HUMAN BODY, WHEREBY THE WEIGHT OF SAID BODY IS PRIMARILY SUPPORTED THEREBY, SAID STIRRUPS BEING INDEPENDENTLY SWINGABLY CONNECTED TO THE LONGITUDINAL BAR MEANS. 